Matsalu National Park (previously Matsalu Nature Reserve, et, Matsalu rahvuspark, often just Matsalu) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

situated in Lääne and Pärnu Counties,

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. Matsalu National Park spans an area of , comprising Matsalu Bay, the Kasari River delta, the village of

Matsalu Matsalu (german: Matzal) is a village in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County in western Estonia, surrounding the old Matsalu Manor. The Estonian company which owns the manor house was managed from the late 1990s till the late 2010s by a Swedish ...

and surrounding areas. Matsalu Bay is one of the most important wetland bird areas in Europe, due to its prime position on the

East Atlantic Flyway The East Atlantic Flyway is a migration route used by about 90 million birds annually, passing from their breeding areas in the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia and northern Europe to wintering areas in western Europe and on to sou ...

. Large numbers of migratory birds use Matsalu as a staging area. Every spring over two million

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

pass Matsalu, of which around 1.6 million are long-tailed ducks. Matsalu National Park is a home for a number of endangered species, many of which are listed in the Estonian

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, including the

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Palearctic, Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diur ...

of the highest conservation category, a lot of bird species of the second and third protection categories, 22 strongly protected plant species, the natterjack toad, and ten species of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s of the second conservation category.

Description

Matsalu National Park covers a total area of , encompassing Matsalu Bay along with the delta of the Kasari River and its surrounding areas — floodplains, coastal meadows, reedbeds, woodlands,

wooded meadow Wooded meadows (also named ''wood-meadows'', ''park meadows'', etc.) are ecosystems in temperate forest regions. They are sparse natural stands with a regularly mown herbaceous layer. While frequent throughout Europe during the Medieval period an ...

s, and the section of Väinameri around the mouth of the bay, which includes more than 50 islands. of the protected area is terrestrial and is aquatic. Matsalu Bay is shallow,

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

and rich in nutrients. The bay is long and wide, but has an average depth of only and a maximum depth of .

Water salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal to ...

is approximately 0.7

per mil Per mille (from Latin , "in each thousand") is an expression that means parts per thousand. Other recognised spellings include per mil, per mill, permil, permill, or permille. The associated sign is written , which looks like a percent sig ...

. Shoreline length of the bay is about . The bay's shoreline lacks high banks and is populated mostly with shingle shores, with muddy and overgrown reed in the innermost, sheltered part of the bay. Matsalu Keemu bird tower

Kasari River is the biggest of several rivers that run into Matsalu Bay. The delta of the Kasari River is not in its natural condition due to

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

between 1930 and 1960; the alluvial meadow of the delta (), most of which is actively managed, is one of the biggest open wet meadows in Europe. Reeds and rushes surrounding the main channel expand westwards up to every year. Annual inflow into the Matsalu Bay from the Kasari River exceeds the volume of the bay itself approximately eight times; average seasonal variation of the Kasari River exceeds . The rivers carry large quantities of nutrient-rich sediments into the bay from an over

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

. The sediments are deposited in river estuaries, allowing reedbeds to expand. A total of 282 bird species have been recorded in Matsalu, among which 175 are nesting and 33 are transmigrant waterfowl. 49 species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

and 47 species of

s are registered in the area of the nature reserve, along with 772 species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

s. Every spring over two million waterfowl pass Matsalu, including 10,000—20,000 Bewick's swans, 10,000 greater scaups, common goldeneyes,

tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

s, goosanders and many others. A colony of up to 20,000

barnacle geese The barnacle goose (''Branta leucopsis'') is a species of goose that belongs to the genus ''Branta'' of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey ''Anser'' species. Despite its superficial s ...

, over 10,000

greylag geese The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser (bird), Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and ...

and thousands of

wader 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

s stop on the coastal pastures in spring. The most numerous birds of passage (around 1.6 million) are long-tailed ducks. Approximately 35,000—40,000 ducks feed in the reedbeds in spring. In autumn, about 300,000 migratory waterfowl pass Matsalu. The wetland is the biggest autumn stopping ground of common cranes in Europe. The highest recorded number of cranes at the park has been 23,000.

History

Scientific research in Matsalu started around 1870, when Valerian Russow, the curator of the Natural History Museum of the University of Tartu, gave a short overview of birds near Matsalu Bay. Between 1928 and 1936

Eerik Kumari Eerik Kumari born Erik Mathias Sits (7 March 1912 – 8 January 1984) was a biologist, and pioneer of ornithology and nature conservation in Estonia. He was born in Kirbla, Lihula Parish. He was a director of the Institute of Zoology and Botan ...

researched birds in Matsalu and suggested a creation of the bird protection area there in 1936. In 1939, parts of the bay (Virtsu-Puhtu) were protected for mud used in

mud-bath A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly found in areas where hot spring water can combine with volcanic ash. Mud baths have a long history that dates back thousands of years. Mud baths are conceived as public bathing spaces created in open areas ...

s. Research in Matsalu became regular in 1945, when the Institute of Botany and Zoology of the

Estonian Academy of Sciences Founded in 1938, the Estonian Academy of Sciences ( et, Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia) is Estonia's national academy of science in Tallinn. As with other national academies, it is an independent group of well-known scientists whose stated aim is to ...

established a research base in

Penijõe Penijõe is a village in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County, in western Estonia; in the centre of Matsalu National Park. Penijõe Manor Penijõe (german: Pennijöggi) estate was established in the first half of the 17th century. Before the Eston ...

. Matsalu Nature Reserve was founded in 1957, mainly to protect nesting, moulting and migratory birds. The first permanent workers (administrators and scientists) started in 1958 and the Penijõe research base became the administrative centre of the newly created

. The Estonian Bird Ringing Centre ( et, Rõngastuskeskus), the coordinator of

bird ringing Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...

in Estonia, is also located in Penijõe. Hobused Matsalu rahvuspargis

In 1976, Matsalu was included in the list of wetlands of international importance under the International Convention on the Protection of Wetlands (

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

). The

European Diploma of Protected Areas The European Diploma of Protected Areas, established in 1965, is a diploma awarded by the Council of Europe to protected areas (natural or semi-natural) of exceptional European conservational interest. It is awarded for a five-year period at a time ...

was awarded to Matsalu Nature Reserve in 2003 by the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

, in recognition of the park's success in preserving the diversity of habitats and the numerous species of birds and other biota groups in the nature reserve. Matsalu is the only nature reserve in Estonia to hold the European Diploma. The diploma was extended for five years in 2008. In 2004, Matsalu Nature Reserve, along with surrounding areas, became Matsalu National Park. Matsalu has seven bird-watching towers (

Kloostri Kloostri (german: Klosterhof) is a village in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County, in western Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf ...

, Haeska, Suitsu, Jugasaare, Küdeva and

Keemu Keemu is a village in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County in Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, ...

) and three hiking trails.

Matsalu International Nature Film Festival

Matsalu International Nature Film Festival ( et, Matsalu loodusfilmide festival) is held every autumn in the nearby town of Lihula. The festival is organized by the non-profit organization MTÜ Matsalu Loodusfilmide Festival, which was set up in late 2003. In February 2010, MTÜ Matsalu Loodusfilmide Festival partnered with the Estonian State Forest Management Centre (RMK) and will jointly organize the film festivals in the future. The first Matsalu Nature Film Festival was held between October 3 and October 5, 2003, in Lihula with a competitive program of 23 films from 7 countries. More than 2,500 people visited the festival that year. The second festival was held between September 23, and September 25, 2004, with participants from 14 countries, a competitive program of 35 films and around 5,000 visitors. The third festival took place between September 22 and September 25, 2005, with a competitive program of 39 films from 16 countries and over 7,000 visitors. The fourth festival, held between September 21 and September 24 in 2006, had 21 participating countries and 41 competing films. The fifth Matsalu Nature Film Festival was held between September 19 and September 23, 2007, and had more than 7,000 visitors. Organizers admit that as the festival is held on a nature reserve, it cannot grow much larger in a little town and therefore plan to bring mostly European nature documentaries to the festival, at the same time not forgetting the human-related topics. In 2007, organizers of the Matsalu International Nature Film Festival received the Environmental Award of the Year from the Estonian Ministry of Environment. The ministry pointed out persistent and successful organization of the film festival over the years, which has popularized nature protection and contributed significantly to environmental awareness.

Gallery

Suitsu jõe luhaniidul.jpg, Suitsu meadow Valgepõsk-lagled.jpg, A flock of

Kumari laid 2.JPG, Kumari Puisenina must lammas..jpg, Coast in Puise peninsula Kasari jõgi 2.JPG, Spring flood in Kasari River Kasari jõgi 1.jpg, Kasari River File:Matsalu.jpg, Fishermen huts by the Suitsu River in Matsalu National Park File:Matsalu metsas.jpg, Old hay barn at the end of Suitsu hiking trail File:Haeska rannik 1.JPG, The coastline seen from the village of Haeska File:Heinalrullid.JPG, Hay bails on the

Puhtulaid Puhtu (also known as Puhtuaid) is a former islet and since the beginning of the 19th century a peninsula in western Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered t ...

peninsula File:Matsalu mõis.JPG, The old Matsalu Manor in Matsalu Village File:Keemu sadam 3.JPG, The small port of Keemu File:MatsaluSuitsuJõgi.jpg, Net and fishing huts on the Tuudi River File:Porimägi.jpg, Porimägi

References

External links

*
Map of Matsalu National Park

Birds of Matsalu (PDF)

Plants of Matsalu (PDF)

Matsalu tourism information

Migratory birds and the Matsalu Nature Reserve

Estonica ''Estonica'' is a comprehensive encyclopaedia on topics relating to Estonia, particularly the culture and history of Estonia. The project has been developed by Estonian Institute since 2000. It is sponsored by, among others, Tiigrihüpe. Materia ...

{{Authority control National parks of Estonia Ramsar sites in Estonia Geography of Lääne County Landforms of Lääne County Protected areas established in 1957 Tourist attractions in Lääne County